Profiling Impressions

The following comment was posted by aquamarine on November 17:

hi Soumya,

i'm just curious. DO u really sport a stern face like the one on ur display???????
;)

AquaM

I didn't respond to it. The question had more than many grains of truth in there. The first impression that I leave on most people is of a grumpy snob. Atleast that is what they tell me once they know me better. I don't exactly know how true their initial observations were. But I definitely do look grumpy in many photographs. Including the one which had for long adorned my blogger profile (though digitally altered).

I don't want the same to happen with my blog. My posts may most often be unimpressionable, but pictures they say speak a thousand words. Therefore I took some extra pains in choosing a livelier photograph (any other photo would be livelier). But none were lively (and unrecognisable) enough.

Next I attempted to caricature myself. But a friend felt that it didn't resemble me enough - and suggested that I use one of the characters that I had developed during my school-time cartooning mania. She believed that I have a striking resemblance with him. She might just be right. Hence the new profile photo.

I was also contemplating anonymity - under the nom de guerre - 'AlbinoBee.' But on the realisation of the fact that almost no one is even aware of my present existence (I'm anonymous in my own identity) and nor would anyone remotely come across the idea of sending a Rs. 20 crore legal notice. I have also added my email id (at the bottom of the page) just in case someone just wants to. This can alternatively be used to send love notes and hate mail which cannot otherwise be shared over blog comments.